The Agnishima Trials
by Firelord Lionheart
Summary: After the war, Ozai and his henchmen are standing trial as war criminals. The prosecution team led by a man named Zheng Yi has the job of convicting them and bringing justice for the victims of the war but Ozai has barely even begun to fight. OC-centric AU as of Korra announcement.
1. The Prosecutor

Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender is owned and copyrighted by Nickelodeon and Viacom. If I did own it, I wouldn't have let the Promise come into existence and I would've nixed the love triangle in LOK.

A/N: This is a sort of prequel to the Final Testament of Phoenix King Ozai that deals with the actual trial and the immediate post-war Avatar world.

Chapter One: The Prosecutor

The war was over. A hundred years of war and suffering had come to a halt with a victory for the Avatar and the Earth Kingdom Resistance. After the initial celebrations had died down, people all over the world, including the Fire Nation who had started the war came to realize that there was still a devastated world left behind; a world full of victims both living and dead who were screaming for justice. Eight men had met in the chambers of the Supreme Court in Agnishima, the Fire Nation capital, to deliver justice on those responsible. These men were judges, two from each surviving nation selected to preside over the upcoming trials of the twenty-six highest ranking members of the deposed Fire Nation government.

The eight men took a seat at the round table in the chambers. Two men were selected for each nation, but as there was only one known Airbender left, the Northern and Southern Water Tribes were to be considered separate. The Speaker of the Council, a middle-aged Southern Water Tribesman named Amak began to address the others as soon as they were all seated.

"Welcome, gentlemen. Before we begin, let us take our oath." The eight men stood up and raised their right hands. "Here do I solemnly swear."

"Here do I solemnly swear," repeated the other judges.

"Before all the spirits."

"Before all the spirits."

"To duly administer justice without passion, fear, or prejudice."

"To duly administer justice without passion, fear, or prejudice."

"As members of the International Military Tribunal."

"As members of the International Military Tribunal."

"In accordance with international law."

"In accordance with international law."

The judges took their seats at the table. "Now," said Amak, folding his hands. "I don't want there to be too many formalities between us, so you can just call me Amak." There were a few laughs in response. "Now let's get the seating arrangements out of the way before we get to business. It'll be done according to the Avatar cycle, but as there is only one Airbender left and it's vital that he stand as a witness, the Northern and Southern tribes will be seen as separate entities. Elder Kuruko of the Northern Water Tribe, Chief Oyaji of the Earth Republic*, Admiral Chan of the Fire Nation, yours truly Amak of the Southern Water Tribe, Elder Nanuk of the Northern Water Tribe, General Hao of the Earth Republic, Master Piandao of the Fire Nation, and Master Pakku of the Southern Water Tribe. Each nation has a bender and a nonbender representing them."

"Now that we've got that out of the way," piped up Pakku curtly, "let's get to business. The trial will be conducted according to Earth Kingdom common law and Water Tribe civil law. All the defendants are to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. It's essential that this not be a show trial."

"I agree, Master Pakku," Kuruko responded.

"Now for the charges," stated Chan, turning to Amak. "There are four indictments: General conspiracy, crimes against peace, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. Each indictment carries several crimes."

"So let's discuss who these men are," suggested Oyaji. "We'll start with the obvious; Ex-Firelord Ozai. He's charged under all four indictments." Ex-Firelord Ozai, the self-proclaimed Phoenix King was a subject of much debate since his defeat at the Avatar's hands. He chose to keep him alive, to remove his Firebending instead of killing him. One way or another, Ozai would have to face justice for his crimes against the world.

"I think it's important that we take all things into consideration regarding him," Amak replied. "Firelord Zuko has already chosen an attorney for the defense, a Mr. Hideo Tanaka. He's a professor and head of the law department at Firelord Shinji University and he's been a lawyer for over twenty years." At this, General Hao looked up.

"What's his defense?"

"I don't know, General, but the Firelord says he's all professional. He never lets his personal feelings get in the way of his work."

"We have War Minister Qin," Pakku said spitting out the name, "also charged under all four indictments. He's been behind every attack on Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe civilians for the last twenty wears of the war."

"We also have Senior General Nguyen Thanh An," Oyaji said, looking at the man's charges with deep loathing. "Now _this one_ is a real bastard."

"You're telling me!" said General Hao, cold anger washing over him. "He was placed as Governor of Ba Sing Se after Azula's coup. Had countless citizens enslaved and murdered. And that's _nothing_ compared to what he did before!"

"You mean the Xu Qiang massacre that he conducted with Ozai?" Oyaji shot back in equal anger. "The Fire Nation silenced all records of that raid. Eight hundred thousand people were killed, the rest taken prisoner and enslaved and raped...some tortured to death! Zuko's searching for witnesses in the Fire Nation but once we find a prosecutor, we'll have more luck."

Amak cleared his throat loudly. "I would like to remind you gentlemen that we are judges, not prosecutors. We are supposed to be impartial." Oyaji and Hao both glared in response but said nothing further.

Elder Nanuk announced, "You mentioned enslavement and rape? Well, that brings us to Justice Minister Takahashi. He's been behind the prisons, the mass executions, and the slave labor."

"What about Princess Azula?" inquired Admiral Chan. "She's been at the Royal Psychiatric Center for months now and is showing no signs of improvement. We must consider that she was, in fact, in her right mind when she committed those atrocities. I know she was a minor but we can't be lenient under the circumstances."

Piandao looked at Chan like he was as insane as Azula. "How can you tell us that Azula was in her right mind?" the swordsman responded, his eyebrows arching. "That child was raised to be a weapon from a very young age and if it were up to me, I would press charges against Ozai for the way he treated his children. We had three healers and the Avatar see to her mental condition. Azula is insane. She's not fit to stand trial. It doesn't matter whether she was in her right mind or not at the time. She's insane now… I don't want her brought up again."

Nobody spoke for a few moments after the swordsman's short speech. It was Oyaji to break the silence. "Now, what about Governor Han Jian? He's not charged under all four indictments, but he did take over Omashu and was responsible for its liquidation. This man is the father of Firelord Zuko's fiancée. Maybe she can tell us exactly what-"

"No," Hao interrupted. "We're not forcing family members to testify against the defendants. We won't even so much as allow the prosecutor to question them. However, the stand is open to anyone who wishes to present evidence on behalf of the defense or prosecution. Any objections?" Nobody spoke.

Amak cleared his throat and folded his hands. "Uh, before we continue, I first wanted us to select a prosecutor. Are we all agreed that the lead counsel should be from the Earth Republic?" The other men murmured in agreement. "Very well, he'll form a prosecution team and get the evidence we need."

"I think I know just the man for the job," stated Oyaji. The other judges looked at him.

* * *

><p>Magistrate Zheng Yi signed the last bill on his desk before locking up his office for the day. His attendant greeted him, "Good evening, Mr. Yi."<p>

"Hello, Jian." The two men walked across the gardens from the work area of the prosecutor's compound to the residential area. "Been a long week, and now I'm looking to spend the weekend with my wife and daughter." Zheng was a burly thirty-eight-year-old man with a bald head, green eyes, and a full black beard. He became the Magistrate of Qing upon the death of his father. The Yi family had a very long history of practicing law and believed firmly in the Earth Kingdom common law system and progression. If the Republic idea would truly come to pass, Zheng would be proud to continue serving the new free government.

Entering the dining room, he was immediately greeted by the delighted squeal of, "Daddy!" A small girl sprinted towards him. Grinning, the magistrate scooped his daughter in his arms and kissed her forehead. He placed her on his shoulder as she chattered away about her day with the governess.

Dinner was highly welcomed after Zheng's long day. Despite his position of power, the Magistrate was a modest man so he and his family generally ate in the kitchen. As he made to drink his tea, a servant entered the kitchen. "Begging your pardon, Mr. Yi," she said. "But you have visitors."

"Who are they?" he replied, putting down the cup.

"They say they're representatives of the International Military Tribunal, sir."

"Escort them to the living room and bring a bottle of rice wine; I'll be with them shortly." The servant bowed and proceeded to carry out her orders.

"What's the International Miritelly Tribunal?" Zheng's daughter asked. His wife was the one to answer.

"_Military_," she corrected, smiling. "They are a court of Army and Navy judges from all the nations. They're going to put the leaders of the old Fire Nation on trial."

"But why do they want to talk to daddy?"

"I don't know, honey, let's go to the living room."

There were two men sitting on the chairs across from the sofa where the Yi family sat. One was a Fire Nation man in formal robes and the other was an Earth Republic soldier in dress uniform. "So what brings you here?" the Magistrate inquired, pouring rice wine for the two men.

"I'm the bailiff for the court, Mr. Yi," the Earth Republic soldier replied. "My name's Lee. This is the court scribe, Mori."

Smiling politely, Zheng responded, "I'm Zheng Yi, the Magistrate of Qing. My wife, Ling and my daughter, Lan. What brings you to Qing?"

"The Council of Judges has asked me to request that you lead the prosecution of the major Fire Nation war criminals." Zheng heard but did not quite believe.

"Me?"

"Yes, Mr. Yi," said Lee. "Judge Oyaji personally recommended you for the job." Qing did a lot of trade with Kyoshi Island, so his and Oyaji's diplomatic relationship went back many years. As for taking the case, Zheng had prosecuted many criminal cases before, but it was always domestic crime. During the war, he left it up to the military to try captured Fire Nation troops who'd attack civilians.

The Magistrate asked them, "Why me and not a military prosecutor?"

"We need someone who believes in what this trial is really going to be about; justice for the victims of this war, but a civilian whose opinion will not be biased based on personal experiences." He did believe in justice for the victims, but was not entirely sure that he could handle such a responsibility. It would also mean that he would need to leave Qing for a very long time and would have to find someone to fill in for him yet there was nobody available.

"I…really need to think about this."

The men looked as though they were expecting him to answer like that. "The court will find someone to fill in for you while you're gone. We'll provide a house in Agnishima for you and your family during your time there."

Zheng turned his gaze to his wife who gave her approving nod and then to his daughter who looked like she wasn't sure why she was there. Turning back to his visitors, he answered, "Alright," he told the visitors. "I'll do it."

"You will?"

"Yes, Lee. We all have to do our part now that the war is over. This is obviously my responsibility."

"A ship will leave Qing Port a week from now." After exchanging farewells, the bailiff and scribe left the Magistrate's compound. A week later, the Yis were on their way to the Fire Nation. Zheng and Lan stood on the deck gazing at the azure water.

"Why do we have to go to the Fire Nation?" the little girl asked, looking up at her father.

"The war started in the Fire Nation," he explained, wrapping an arm around her. "It was from there that all the orders for all the horrible things these men did came from. No, I'm not going to say what, but it's my job to make sure the world knows what ex-Firelord Ozai and his henchmen did and they get the proper punishment for it. It's only right that the war ends there." He ran his hand through her hair. "Don't worry, it'll be fine."

In ten days' time, the ship docked at the port of Agnishima. Tomorrow, Zheng's job would begin. Little did he know what would await him the coming trials.

A/N: The trial has a panel of judges instead of a jury for one reason. Judges are only interested in hearing facts. A jury's opinion can be swayed by how a case is presented or by the emotional aspect, etc. This way, a person can get wrongfully convicted or acquitted.

* I had the idea to make the Earth Kingdom a democracy after the war since 2009.


	2. Many Meetings

Chapter Two: Many Meetings

Settling into the house took little time, but Zheng had little time to think about it. The very next morning, an entourage brought him to the Supreme Court of the Fire Nation to what would be his office. It was a windowless room with a desk in the corner and a meeting table in the middle. Upon his arrival, he had his first of many pre-trial meetings. First he met with the eight judges who simply told him that he is to form a team of three including himself. One would be in charge of documentation and written evidence and the other would be in charge of finding witnesses.

That very same day, there was knock on his office door. "Enter," he said shortly. A tall bespectacled man in red robes with his hair in a top knot strode in. "Good afternoon, Mr. Yi, my name is Hideo Tanaka," he announced and bowed to the Magistrate. "The Firelord has assigned me as lead defense counsel for the tribunal."

Zheng blinked. "Oh, well have a seat." The professor obliged. "Tea?"

"No thank you."

"Okay, I'm guessing you've come to talk about the accused."

"Yes, Mr. Yi," he replied placing his hands on his knees. "I wanted to talk to you about how the trial is going to be conducted. My clients don't understand." Zheng looked at him incredulously.

"What's there not to understand, Mr. Tanaka? The accused are presumed innocent by the court. The burden of proof falls upon my team and I." He then added with narrowing eyes, "Unless they want to plead guilty and save us a lot of trouble."

Tanaka went on as though Zheng didn't make that last comment. "I must also add that the charges against these men did not exist at the time. Consider that their actions, if they did them, were not, at the time illegal."

White hot anger burned inside the prosecutor. How could anyone be callous enough to say that? Hundreds of millions of innocent people had died in the past hundred years in a war that _Tanaka's_ country started and he goes and says that the defendants' actions were not at the time illegal? It took all his strength not to lose his temper. His father had taught him that the first rule of being a lawyer was to never lose your cool or the opposing counsel will use it against you. The judges only wanted to hear the facts of the case, not a drama.

"Do you really believe that?" Zheng asked evenly.

"It's not my place to believe my clients or not," he responded, lifting up a hand. "I'm a lawyer, Mr. Yi. It's my job to defend whoever is placed in my charge. I will make my case on evidence only."

"Good to know. Then I'll have you know that I'm here as a representative of the tribunal, not a hired assassin. I'll also present my case based solely on evidence."

The professor's face softened. "Now, if my clients do plead guilty, are you offering any sort of deal?" Zheng sighed. He was not a man who generally asked for the death penalty except in very grave circumstances. Even in most premeditated murder cases, he would have the defendant sentenced to life imprisonment. There was also the fact that some of these men did not necessarily deserve death or even life imprisonment.

"This trial is about justice for the victims of the war, Mr. Tanaka," he said firmly. "If they plead guilty, I will put the worst of them in prison for life but do not expect Ozai, Qin, Takahashi, or Nguyen to ever see the outside of a prison for as long as they live." There was no need for Zheng to say that he would definitely seek the death penalty for these four men should they plead not guilty. Tanaka could see it in his eyes.

"Very well, I'll speak to my clients. I should have their answers in three days time." The two lawyers shook hands. As Mr. Tanaka left, Zheng realized that he was dealing with a private and very professional man. He could not tell whether or not the professor supported the war, but it was irrelevant either way. He would defend the accused nonetheless.

* * *

><p>"So now for the charges." Zheng sat at the head of the long table in his office. Two others sat on either side of him. One was a very pretty middle-aged woman from the Fire Nation and the other, a man from the Northern Water Tribe. "Indictment one is general conspiracy; conspiracy to commit any or all of the other indictments." He slammed his fist on the table. "Documentation is of utmost importance here. We need to find official papers with these men's signatures…details of how everything was planned. If we want a confession out of any of them, we'll need these documents." He turned to the woman. "That's where you come in, Setsuko."<p>

Setsuko Miyamoto, a paralegal to a well known defense attorney in the Fire Nation Island of Amahara nodded. "Isn't it ironic?" she responded, adjusting her glasses. "I always prided our organizational skills, but now it'll be the undoing of our own former government."

"Yes," Zheng responded. "So it'll be your job to look wherever you can for these documents, records of orders, cabinet meetings, war meetings, orders of executions, shit like that."

"Got it."

"Indictment two is crimes against peace. Namely the planning, preparing, initiating, and waging of wars of aggression against the Water Tribes and the Earth Kingdom with no regard to the peace and tranquility of said nations." Tuktu, the Justice Advisor to the Chief of the Northern Water Tribe raised his hand.

"Tanaka will undoubtedly object to this. He'll argue that the ones that started the actually war are long dead."

"Yes, I thought we'd hit that snag," Zheng said, his brow furrowing. "What we're going to do is argue that the fact these men, especially Ozai who had absolute rule over the Fire Nation could have stopped the war and chose not to, it's as if they declared war on these nations all over again." The other two in the room were in agreement. "If my intuition's correct, the other defendants will likely try to put all the blame on Ozai. We need to show that they were willing to wage aggressive war as well.

"The third is war crimes. For this, we need actual witnesses. The charges under here are the wanton destruction of cities, towns, and villages; devastation not justified by military or civilian necessity; and the maltreatment and murder of prisoners of war. We need citizens and diplomats of the Earth Republic and Water Tribes to testify that the Fire Nation destroyed everything in its path to conquest. We need former war prisoners to testify about the slave labor and mass executions. We need you for this, Tuktu.

"The last indictment is crimes against humanity. This indictment carries charges of genocide, murder, enslavement, deportation, and other inhumane acts (such as mass rape and the kidnapping of young girls to be used as comfort women) against the populations of the Water Tribes and the Earth Kingdom. Let's not forget that the Fire Nation itself wasn't spared from the Old Regime's atrocities. Citizens were persecuted, oppressed, enslaved, and murdered solely on ethnic or political grounds for the past hundred years. We need both of you to work for evidence on this one."

"Are we seriously going to insist that women testify about their experiences as comfort women," Setsuko demanded, appalled, "or that former prisoners of war testify about their treatment? I personally think, Zheng, that these people suffered enough at the hands of the Old Regime. Why make them relive it?"

The magistrate looked at her sympathetically. Yes, it was a rather callous thing to do, insisting that the victims stand as witnesses, but documentation alone would not be enough. "Look," he said. "I don't like it anymore than you do, but the world needs to hear from those who suffered directly under Ozai's rule." He turned his gaze to Tuktu. "I also want the Avatar and his friends to testify. If possible, also foreign politicians and military personnel."

"When does the trial begin?" Tuktu inquired.

"They didn't say, but we need to get as much as we can as quickly as possible. They're giving us time, but we should not push our luck. We can only keep these men confined for so long without legal proceedings moving forward."

"If I may," piped up Setsuko. "The judges said we're not to approach the family members of the accused, but the Firelord's agreed to help us in any way he can. The Firelord can bring us a lot of documented evidence." Well, that made their job a little easier, Zheng thought. Firelord Zuko was doing everything in his power to make drastic reforms in the Fire Nation. He did not gloss over the fact that the Fire Nation was responsible for the devastated state of the world and the first thing he did was publicly apologize on the country's behalf. He then gave his word that he would do whatever he could to help with reparations, pay compensation to the victims, and help bring the Old Regime to justice.

"I think it's more vital that he stand as a witness," Zheng responded thoughtfully. "He's the one who's seen the Fire Nation's menace firsthand during his banishment."

"Why aren't any charges brought against him?" demanded Tuktu in a forceful tone. "His hands aren't exactly clean! He burned down Kyoshi Island and aided Azula in conquering Ba Sing Se!" Setsuko was about to angrily defend her leader but Zheng cut across her.

"Firelord Zuko saw the error of his ways and betrayed Ozai at great personal risk. I'll remind you, Tuktu, that we are not hired assassins, we're lawyers." He waited for one of the others to speak and when no one did he clapped his hands together and said, "Alright people, let's get to work."

* * *

><p>While Zheng Yi's team was scrounging for evidence, Hideo Tanaka was conducting his own series of interviews for the defense. The easiest client to find witnesses for was Governor Han. The professor would first interview the Governor's wife to get her story on the charges her husband faced.<p>

The Han family lived right across the street from the palace in a large manor. Being a family that flaunted their wealth and valued propriety, Hideo was escorted from the front gate to the door across the garden by a guard. The professor never understood nobles and their desire to flash their money in everyone's faces. However, that may have been due to the fact that he had worked hard for his position for most of his adult life. Either way, he found it arrogant and tasteless that nobles who contributed absolutely nothing to the country shoved their wealth in the poor's faces. Hideo could only find one redeeming quality about Han and his wife; they gave a lot to charity, even if it was just to put themselves in a good light amongst their peers.

The guard knocked on the door, which was immediately opened by the butler. "Good morning," Hideo greeted. "My name is Hideo Tanaka, I am Governor Han's attorney. Is Mrs. Han available? I wish to speak with her."

The butler nodded and showed him into the house. "Wait right here, sir," the butler said, "I'll go check for her right now." With that, the butler left him standing in the foyer. Well, so much for protocol, Hideo thought. About five minutes later, the butler returned. "Please, follow me to the drawing room."

The drawing room came as no surprise to the professor. Like the rest of the house, no expense was spared into decorating it. The room featured plush red sofas and chairs, a crimson and gold rug, and red satin wallpapers. An equally elegant woman sat cross-legged on one of the chairs. If it were not for her white face and dark hair done up in a ridiculously posh style, Hideo would have thought she had blended into the rest of the room, due to her red kimono. Off in a corner of the drawing room, a little boy of three years was playing absentmindedly.

"Ah, welcome, Mr. Tanaka," Mrs. Han greeted with a PR gesture. Turning her head, she called, "What do we say to our guest, Tom-Tom?" The toddler immediately snapped out of his little world, stood up, and bowed to him.

"It's a honor to have you in our house, Mr…" he turned to his mother, gray eyes widening questioningly. Being a toddler, one could not expect him to really pronounce certain words properly or to use proper grammar in his speech.

"Mr. Tanaka," Mrs. Han informed with a smile, and set the child on her lap. "Now Tom-Tom, I have to talk with this good man, so why don't you go play with Kenji for a while?"

"Okay," Tom-Tom answered. He sprang off his mother's lap, bowed to Tanaka and scurried out of the drawing room. Mrs. Han gestured to the sofa in front of her and Hideo sat down.

"Something to drink, Mr. Tanaka?"

"Just tea, ma'am."

Once the two of them were settled with drinks and formalities were out of the way, the woman's noble mask was shattered. What the lawyer saw before him was a desperate woman at the end of her rope. "You are going to save my husband are you?" she pleaded.

"I'll do whatever I can, ma'am." This was the standard answer he would usually give to the family members of his clients. "Governor Han is charged with conspiracy and crimes against humanity."

"What does that mean?" the woman pressed, clenching her teacup tightly.

"That he is accused of planning and ordering the evacuation of Omashu. That he forcibly evicted the citizens from the premises."

"But he didn't!" Mrs. Han exclaimed louder than she had intended. "They left of their own accord!"

"That's what I'm going to try to prove, Mrs. Han," Hideo replied.

The noblewoman regained her composure and stated, "But can you prove that he was not the one to actually conquer Omashu? That he was simply ordered to be its Governor? He was only following orders, Mr. Tanaka. If my husband refused, we would all have been hanged as traitors."

Hideo ran a hand through his hair thinking of how to answer this in a reasonable way. However, it was best to just answer bluntly. "The judges do not recognize obedience to a superior as a valid excuse, though they might show mercy considering Governor Han's circumstances. As for following orders... Senior General Nguyen was also following orders from both Firelord Azulon and Ozai and Mr. Yi will undoubtedly collect enough evidence against him to warrant a hundred death sentences if convicted."

"Nguyen Thanh An is a monster with no conscience, we all know that," Mrs. Han snapped. "Do you think I don't know about Xu Qiang? Azulon may have destroyed records of it, but the entire country knew what Ozai and Nguyen did there. But Jian isn't a violent man; he's a politician who thought he was in the right."

"I know," the professor reassured, feeling more awkward by the minute. "I will do my best to keep him out of prison, but I'm a lawyer, not a sorcerer. I can only give the judges what I can prove."

The two of them sat silently for several moments before Mrs. Han spoke again. "What is he facing if convicted? They're not going to-"

"He'll get twenty years imprisonment with hard labor." Hideo's interjection drained the color from the woman's face.

"Agni, no…"

"That is why it's important that you stand as a witness for the defense. A character witness and as one who had been at the scene of the crime…sorry, the event. Because Yi will come down on us with everything he has."

"Very well," said Mrs. Han, composing herself. "I'll stand as a witness. My daughter can too; she knows more than I do of what happened. Always has been a perceptive young woman…really proud of her. Our Mai has good taste in men as well. She's to marry the Firelord within a year, a fine young man if I say so myself. He will bring this country out of the shadows of the past and into a bright future."

Well, some people never changed, Hideo thought struggling not to roll his eyes at the arrogance of Mrs. Han's tone. She must have caught it too, because when she spoke next, she was more humble. "My apologies, got carried away. Where are my manners?"

"It's fine, Mrs. Han. I must go now. I thank you for your cooperation."

"Just please save him."

"I'll do my best," he assured her again. After exchanging bows, Hideo went on his way. A small figure that had been hiding himself until now emerged from the door. Usually, Mrs. Han would not have approved her children eavesdropping, but this was going to be a very difficult time for her son.

"You heard everything?" she asked him softly.

"Are you angry, mommy?"

"No," she said, setting Tom-Tom on her lap, wrapping an arm around him as he rested his head on her shoulder.

"Who is that man?"

"He's a lawyer," Mrs. Han answer, stroking his hair.

"He lies?"

"Not a liar," she chuckled, "a _lawyer_. He's going to help your father."

"Oh." The toddler still sounded confused. "Where's daddy? You two were talking about him." His mother tensed. She knew this question would come eventually and that she would need to answer.

"Well…this is hard, Tom-Tom. Your father has to go to court."

"What that?"

"Well…when grownups do something bad or if someone thinks they did something bad, they have to go to court. Court as a big building where grownups sit in a big room. One man says the person in court did the bad thing and another man says he didn't do it. Each side tries to prove that they are right. Once they finished, a group of men called judges decide who is right after hearing what bothe lawyers said. If they think the grownup did the bad thing, he has to be punished."

"What is parison? The man said daddy may go to parison." Mrs. Han held him tighter.

"_Prison_," she corrected. How was she going to get out of this one? "Prison is like…grounding for grownups but timeout for grownups is different from what is for children. For you, grounding is a little while in your room. For a grownup, they have to leave their house and go live at a building with other grownups that did bad things."

"For how long?" Tom-Tom pressed and his mother grimaced.

"If your father is conv…if the judges believe that your father did the bad thing, if the lawyer that says he did the bad thing makes it look like he was right, then he will have to go to prison for twenty years. You will be a grownup when they let him leave prison. Twenty-three-years-old. Why, you might even be a father then."

The toddler looked unsure of how to react to this, so he just snuggled closer to his mother.

"But Mr. Tanaka will make sure your father won't even go to prison for one day. Your father did nothing bad. He only worked for a very bad man."

"Who?" The boy's eyes widened. From the bedtime stories he heard, he could differentiate bad boys and a bad man. Bad boys did naughty things like break stuff in the house, pull the cat's tail, or not go to school when they had to. Bad men hurt people, stole things, kidnapped children, and sometimes even killed people.

"Firelord Zuko's father, Ozai." Tom-Tom was confused. Zuko was a nice man. He played with Tom-Tom all the time when he visited the palace. He would even teach him to use a sword when he next year. Most of all, his sister Mai loved him, and Mai would only marry a good man like Zuko. How could a good man like him have a bad daddy and why would _his_ daddy work for him?

"What did he do, mommy? Why did daddy work for him?"

"I'll tell you when you're older." The boy pouted in disappointment. He hated that answer, but knew it was useless to argue. He simply rested his head against his mother's shoulder.

* * *

><p>"Is this enough for Mr. Yi to start building his case, Mrs. Miyamoto?" Setsuko and Zuko walked along the palace garden, having just emerged from the archives. The woman was carrying a thick stack of papers and scrolls under her arm.<p>

"Please, my Lord, just call me Setsuko," she said. "And yes, sir, I think he'll be pleased with it. But I think he'd be more pleased if your Lordship will agree to testify."

Zuko gave a short laugh. "Well, it all depends on my time. I do have a very busy schedule and my duties do take priority."

"I know, my Lord."

"But I'll talk to Mr. Yi personally if that's alright with him."

* * *

><p>A few days later at the Ministry of Justice, the prosecution team had met again. "So, let's have our progress report," Zheng said.<p>

"Firelord Zuko gave us all the records he could find in the palace archives," Setsuko reported. "However, if my intuition is correct, I believe Ozai was clever enough to his records in other locations. As were many of the others."

"I concur, Setsuko," said Zheng. "And I'm glad the Firelord has the right people searching the nation for other records." He turned to his other assistant. "Tuktu?"

"I haven't found the Avatar and his friends yet but I have several officers willing to testify against Ex-Firelord Ozai, Senior General Nguyen, and War Minister Qin. Admiral Jeong-Jeong is willing to testify as well. I also have a man named Chit Sang who's got a lot to say about the prisons here. As for the Firelord, he's agreed to testify on our behalf."

"Excellent," Zheng replied. "Judge Chan spoke to Tanaka and me. The arraignment will take place three months from now and then the trial will commence on the anniversary of the war's end. Now, a year may seem like a long time, but we must use every waking hour of that year to gather as much witnesses and evidence as possible."

A/N: Alright, everything's in motion. Next I'd like to get to the Gaang.


	3. Proceedings Begin

Chapter Three: Proceedings Begin

Not even a week ago, Ozai would have given anything to be let out of his cell at the Agnishima Prison. He was alone in that cell for days on end, only having to endure that idiot warden bringing him food and mocking him for his downfall. "I always told my wife," Ozai barely held back a snort. Wife? The only woman who'd see a good quality in that man was his mother, if even. "That you were the worst thing that ever happened to this country. A lesser son of greater ancestors. Now look at you…defeated by a thirteen-year-old pacifist monk and your Firebending's gone. You're a disgrace."

The ex-Firelord was sure that the warden would not be singing that tune had he been face-to-face with him in any other situation. Ozai only responded, "You think you're clever, huh? But one of these days you'll also be standing on a platform in front of Supreme Court in front a crowd of the lowliest of peasants and then beheaded if you're lucky. A lesser form of life like you would probably be hanged." Hanging was considered the most dishonorable method of execution in the Fire Nation. It was reserved almost exclusively for traitors or insubordinate soldiers so nobody would see them as martyrs. The only others hanged were the pettiest of criminals. His words seemed to affect the warden, because he just left the cell in rage.

One day, in comes the Almighty Firelord Zuko on a particularly frustrating morning. Ozai had only one visit from his son and that was to know where Ursa was. As to that, the former Firelord did not know. He only knew that he had banished her from the Fire Nation the night before his coronation. She had taken a ship out to the Earth kingdom colonies and was never heard from again.

However, this time his son came on official business. Zuko was a much younger version of Ozai. The only difference lay in the scar that the older man had marked him with all those years ago. "What do you want?" Ozai demanded shortly. "I told you I don't know where your mother is!"

"That's not why I'm here," his son snapped back at him. "I'm here to inform you that the International Military Tribunal demands you stand trial." At this, Ozai stood up and clutched the bars.

"Trial?" he repeated. "For what?"

Zuko regarded him coldly. "You've been charged with general conspiracy, crimes against peace, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. You and twenty-five others will be moved to the dungeons of the Supreme Court."

He was moved that very day and looking at his situation now, he would take his cell in the prison over this any time. Here he had to share a small closet of a cell with three other men. Sure, they were all loyal to him during his time on the throne, but he had to stay in the cell with them except for meals, exercise, and bathing.

While Ozai lay in his bunk that evening, he heard War Minister Qin say, "Heard they chose a prosecutor." There was shifting in the other bunks. "A man from the Earth Kingdom – or Republic – as they're calling it now."

"What in Koh's name is a Republic?" demanded Nguyen Thanh An. He was tall and lanky with a rather unusual appearance. His dark hair was short and his face was clean-shaven. The only difference now than when Ozai had last seen Nguyen was that his golden eyes did not hold the maniac blaze. Also dispensed was his uniform and very well used sword.

"It's the type of savagery you'd expect out of the Earth peoples," Ozai responded in contempt. "It gives commoners say in government affairs. Any uneducated cabbage merchant could choose who leads him." Nguyen snickered in response.

"What?"

"When I was Governor of Ba Sing Se, my troops were conducting a raid of the slums. There was one neurotic cabbage merchant who accidentally had his cart overturned in the search." He screwed up his face and made his voice higher and whiny. "'My cabbages!' They didn't have the heart to deal with him."

"But you did, of course?" demanded Justice Minister Takahashi. Nguyen rolled his eyes. This wasn't even worth the time acknowledging.

"Look at our situation now," said Ozai, coldly. "That prosecutor they chose is going to do everything he can to bury us. It won't matter who they choose to defend us."

Nguyen gazed up at his former Firelord. "You're not just giving up are you, my Liege? You are the Phoenix King." Ozai turned his head to him, expression blank.

"Believe me, I have no intention of pleading guilty and neither will any of you. They don't want this to be a show trial, so we'll put them into disarray and maybe some of us will get off."

Just then, the door to the cell slid open and a guard stepped inside. "Everyone, let's go," he said shortly. Knowing it was pointless to argue, the four men climbed off their bunks and made their way out into the corridor. "Just a second, you," snapped the guard at Nguyen, who turned to him, looking at him as though he'd love nothing more than to burn him to ashes. "Turn around, face the wall!" He did so cursing under his breath. Without another word, the guard cuffed the Senior General's hands behind his back and shackled his ankles.

After making their way through the dank corridors of cell, the prisoners were herded up a flight of stairs into a large meeting room. Two men waited for them in there. The older man had to have been their lawyer. "Everyone, against the wall!" a guard ordered.

Once they were standing against the wall, the older civilian stepped forward. "My name is Hideo Tanaka, I have been selected by the Firelord to represent you in the coming trials," he announced, earning hisses at the mention of Zuko. "I am a professor of law and head of the law department at Firelord Shinji University." He pointed at the younger man. "This is my assistant, Goshiro Suijin."

Drawing in a breath, the lawyer continued, "The Fire Nation faces a difficult time in the years ahead. This is the first time a government of a Nation is put on trial, so I ask that you tell the truth and remember your oaths to your country." Hearing enough, Nguyen stepped forward and faced the rest of the defendants.

"Long live the Phoenix King!" His glare became more pronounced, crying, "BANZAI!"

The other men apart from Ozai responded in turn, raising their fists in the air. "BANZAI! BANZAI! BANZAI!"

With a sneer, Ozai followed Tanaka to a private office within the meeting room. "So you teach at Shinji?"

"Yes," the lawyer responded, opening the door. "About sixteen years now."

* * *

><p>The Royal Villa on Ember Island had been refurbished and was once again fit for regular dwelling, though Firelord Zuko seldom visited there. Instead, he granted it as a house for his friends when they stayed in the Fire Nation. Setsuko and Tuktu had finally found what Zheng Yi would consider to be among his star witnesses with only three weeks to go before the arraignment.<p>

"I don't understand why I couldn't just go myself," complained Tuktu, trailing behind Setsuko who sighed in exasperation. "It's my job to interview the witnesses."

"You're not well acquainted with women are you?" she shot back.

"What does that mean?" Tuktu demanded forcefully. Setsuko stopped in her tracks and looked at him seriously.

"When women have gone through a trauma like Suki or Katara had and they have to be interviewed for it, they would feel a lot more comfortable talking to a woman stranger than they would a man. I don't need to remind you of the Southern Raiders' last attack on the Southern Water Tribe?"

"No…"

"And Suki, she was a prisoner of war. The Spirits only know what she went through during her captivity... especially under Azula's watch." Tuktu bent his head, ashamed of his earlier attitude.

"I see." Without another word, he knocked on the villa door.

A servant opened it and showed them in. "Good evening," she said bowing. "May I help you?" Setsuko stepped forward.

"I'm Setsuko Miyamoto."

"And I'm Tuktu of the Northern Water Tribe," Tuktu announced. "We are the assistants to the prosecution in the International Military Tribunal of Major War Criminals. Are the Avatar and his friends available?" The woman looked in awe at first to be in the company of people who would almost certainly be recorded in the post-war history but she shook it off and showed them to the living room.

"…can't accept that I'm not a frail little girl so who needs them?" they heard Toph say, laughing derisively. "And it looks like we got company." The crimson stone door swung open. The team was seated on sofas and armchairs, the Avatar and the Master Katara sitting rather close together, his arm around her waist.

Setsuko and Tuktu both bowed. "Avatar Aang, Master Katara, Master Sokka, Lady Bei-Fong, and Great Warrior Suki," the Fire Nation woman began.

"Great Warrior," Suki repeated with a smug smile. "I like that," she said as she rested her head on Sokka's shoulder.

Sitting down on one of the available chairs, Setsuko spoke again. "I'm Setsuko Miyamoto and this is Tuktu of the Northern Water Tribe. We represent the prosecution in the case against the highest-ranking members of the Old Regime."

"Mr. Yi, the prosecutor, is asking that you all testify on our behalf, considering that you were all directly…involved," Tuktu explained and Suki shifted uncomfortably. Sokka held her hand as Aang asked, "What do you want us to testify to?"

"Maybe you, as the last Airbender and the Avatar, can give us a clue as to how the war started and the rest of you can testify as to what you saw after the Avatar emerged from the iceberg." Tuktu focused on the Water tribe siblings, his brow furrowing. "You two were present in the last Fire Nation raid on the Southern Tribe. The two of you can give us an account as to what happened."

"We lost our mother in that raid," Katara replied coldly, turning a sharp gaze to the lawyer. "Is Yon Rha one of the people you're prosecuting, because if he is, I'm more than willing to testify!" Aang turned to Katara with a commiserating sigh and slowly stroked her hair. She closed her eyes for a few seconds and regained composure.

Tuktu turned to Setsuko and growled, "We're going to speak to Yi and Chief Hakoda about this Yon Rha. If he's only commanded the Southern Raiders then he's not high ranked enough to be tried in Agnishima. We'll let the Southern Water Tribe deal with him."

"Sounds good to me," stated Sokka, glaring like his sister.

Tuktu turned to Toph. "You've probably seen…sorry, heard what the Fire Nation did in its occupation of the Earth Kingdom. Particularly after you left home."

"All I can tell you is what me and my friends saw on our journey. I can tell you about the refugees, the invasion of Ba Sing Se, and how things were here in the Fire Nation under Ozai." Tuktu nodded in understanding and turned to finally to Suki.

"Suki," he hoped his tone was sympathetic. "After the Avatar, Katara, and Sokka left Kyoshi Island, you and the other Kyoshi Warriors left to do your part in the war. You can tell us what you've seen in the Earth King-"

"I know what you really want me to testify to," the warrior interrupted quietly, lowering her head. "I don't think I can. I-I h-haven't even fully told my friends yet." Sokka wrapped an arm around her shoulders as Setsuko looked Suki in the eyes.

"Suki, please…" something about the woman's tone seemed to have an effect on the Kyoshi Warrior. It was almost motherly. "I know it's hard. My own brother was imprisoned as a deserter and they faced the same treatment as prisoners of war. We need you; the world needs to hear from you who have suffered at the hands of the Old Regime. Do not feel compelled…Mr. Yi will understand, but you will be doing yourself and other former prisoners of war a great justice if you testify against those responsible."

Suki's face began to pale and Setsuko immediately regretted trying to make her agree. Sokka held the warrior tighter kissed the top of her head as she leaned into his chest, tears filling her eyes.

Katara stated, "She will need time before making a decision and I'm sure others will too."

"I know," said Setsuko. "Thank you for your cooperation just the same."

As the lawyers made their way out of the villa, Tuktu snapped, "Well, that went well!" Setsuko chose not to answer.

* * *

><p>The main courtroom was a vast circular chamber with the spectator area surrounding the center on three sides with the bench raised on a dais at the far end. In most cases, the defendant would usually have to sit in a chair on a platform in the center for the trials, but as there were many accused persons in this particular case, a sitting area was allotted to them behind the desks of the prosecutor and defense teams. Either Zheng or Tanaka would stand on the platform when addressing the court or questioning a witness. Each desk had a bell on top. If one wished to object to a question or answer, they'd ring the bell but the judges made it clear that they each had to wait until the opposing lawyer finished his question or witness finished answering.<p>

As of today, the courtroom was empty but Zheng knew that once the trial began, there would not be a single seat available. The prosecution team sat on the right side of the room and Tanaka sat on the left with his assistant. The only sound came from the muttering of the defendants behind them. Finally, the bailiff, Lee rapped his staff on the marble floor and defendants fell silent.

"All rise for the honorable judges, Elder Kuruko, Chief Oyaji, Admiral Chan, Elder Nanuk, General Hao, Master Piandao, Master Pakku, and President of the Council Amak." Everyone in the room stood up as the eight judges made their way from an adjacent chamber to the bench. Once they took their seats, the court followed suit. Amak, who sat at the center of the bench, rapped his gavel.

"I hereby convene the International Military Tribunal for Major War Criminals in Agnishima against the Old Regime of the Fire Nation," he announced, lifting up a stack of paper. "The accused are charged under any or all of the following indictments, specific charges detailed in the notes placed on each respective defendant's seat. First indictment: General conspiracy to commit any or all of the crimes under the other indictments. Indictment two: Crimes against peace. Indictment three: War crimes. Indictment four: Crimes against humanity. This tribunal has been informed by the defense counsel that the accused fully understand the charges against them. How do you plead?"

Ozai stood up. "I wish to have Mr. Tanaka speak on our behalf." The judges muttered among themselves for a short moment and then Amak turned back to the former Firelord sternly.

"Request denied, you have to say your name, your role in the Old Regime, and tell this tribunal yourself whether you're guilty or not guilty." Ozai rolled his eyes.

"Phoenix King Ozai, not guilty," he snapped and sat back down.

The Prime Minister arose from his seat. "Prime Minister Jiang Yu, not guilty."

"War Minister Sun Qin, not guilty."

"Justice Minister Raijin Takahashi, not guilty."

Senior General Nguyen sneered as he gazed at the judges. "Senior General Nguyen Thanh An, not guilty."

"Education Minister Hiroshi Matsumoto, not guilty."

Every last defendant followed suit, each denying their guilt until finally…

"Governor Jian Han, not guilty."

"Enter a plea of not guilty for each of the accused," stated Amak. "This tribunal will adjourn until September the eighteent at which time we will hear opening statements and the prosecution shall begin its case." He banged his gavel once.

"All rise!"

The courtroom cleared quickly, leaving behind the prosecution team. "Right," said Zheng firmly. "We got the collective not-guilty pleas that we expected so that means we've got a lot of work to do. The requests for previously gathered witnesses are now subpoenas and we will be detailing the dates and times for each of them to appear." Tuktu and Setsuko nodded though the latter looked uncomfortable. She had told Zheng about Suki but the prosecutor was resolute about having her as well as others like her who were mentally fit to testify on the stand. "You two are to gather as many witnesses and documents as you can. Whatever you find may be of help. We'll meet twice a week at my house to discuss our progress. Remember, we may have months but we are to-"

"Spend every waking hour working to collect evidence." Tuktu and Setsuko cut together. "We know," assured Tuktu. "But as of now, I'm hungry."

"I know a good place," said Setsuko smiling. "Come on, you two. My treat." Zheng couldn't help but laugh. He had been under a lot of pressure since arriving in the Fire Nation. Maybe a few hours relaxing would help him a little.

A/N: Well, the trial's about to begin. I had the idea to make Suki a victim or torture as well as other...atrocities since I first started writing Avatar fanfiction. Some torture victims can keep their experiences and feeling bottled up well but would find it hard to actually talk about it, let alone in detail.


	4. Post-War Tensions

A/N: Keep in mind that all the plot ideas for this story were started before the Korra announcement so _**it is AU**_. The show was fucking awesome, though.

Chapter Four: Post-War Tensions

"Never thought I'd like raw fish, but this…sushi did you call it, is not bad." Zheng helped himself to another serving of one of the Fire Nation's prized delicacies. Tuktu nodded in agreement.

"Wonder if Ozai's missing thi – ow!" Setsuko kicked him under the table.

"We finally got Zheng smiling, let's not get him started on work now," she deadpanned. The prosecutor took a sip of his sake and gave a short laugh.

"When I was in the Army, both Ozai and Nguyen's names were spoken as if the very syllables themselves symbolized the Fire Nation's ruthlessness. Even more than the Dragon of the West himself, 'cause we knew General Iroh would never harm civilians. When we got the news of the Xu Qiang Massacre, you can imagine the blow it was to our morale hearing Earth Kingdom citizens speak of it. 'Eight hundred thousand killed', 'Young girls taken', 'millions homeless', 'pillaging', 'Xu Qiang has been part of our history and culture for thousands of years'." He took another drink of his sake. "Now look what happened to these faces of the _evil, merciless Fire Nation_. They're now prisoners and I, a simple magistrate from a coastal city have the duty to convict not just Ozai and Nguyen but the whole inner circle of Ozai's regime."

"Hey," piped up Setsuko raising a palm, "_we _have that duty." She gestured to herself, Tuktu, and Zheng.

"Bringing further shame to our Nation?" said angry voice from the table next to theirs. Three men sat there, one of them narrowing his eyes at the prosecution team. "Is that what you call duty?"

"Shame?" Zheng snapped back, slamming his mug on the table. "Shame that we're giving the men responsible for all but devastating the entire world and the most despicable acts of evil to ever be committed in the history of humankind the fair trial that they denied their victims? Shame that some may very well walk free?"

"How dare you talk to me, you Earth Kingdom filth?" The other two men tried to calm their friend down and he rounded on them. "No! These people have the audacity to sully our land with their footsteps and call us criminals as if we were petty bandits!"

Setsuko spoke evenly but her golden eyes were blazing with fury. "If you actually still supported the war after Xu Qiang let alone after and Ozai was more than willing to annihilate the entire Earth Kingdom population, then you're the one who sullies this Nation and you deserve nothing but shame."

"Hear, hear!" said Tuktu but the angry customer was soon on his feet knocking his table over. With a growl, he launched a jet of flame from his fist, narrowly missing Zheng who ducked just in time. Panic overtook the restaurant as the other patrons, including the man's friends made to flee.

Before he could strike again, the prosecutor hardened his stance and spread out his arms, causing the Firebender to quickly sink into the ground until only his head and neck were visible. Then Zheng opened one fist and lowered it slightly to harden the ground around his attacker.

The first thing any Earthbender learned in the Army was that Firebenders were quick and offensive so one had to make it that they are caught off guard. The angry customer wriggled his head furiously. "Release me at once!"

Zheng looked down at him in disgust. "Are you gonna be nice?" The man drew in a deep breath.

"Yes." Without another word, Zheng stomped his foot on the ground, launching the man out and into another table.

"What the _fuck_ is going on here?" an angry voice demanded. The prosecution team and the beaten customer turned to a lanky man in black work robes flanked by two policemen with their swords drawn. The civilian, obviously the owner, surveyed the overturned tables and spilled food.

"These foreigners," snapped the customer, "and this traitor," he pointed to Setsuko, "have the audacity to sully our sacred land with their footsteps and then call us criminals!"

"That man attacked my customers," said the owner angrily, "and caused this mess." The police advanced on the man.

"Alright, pal, I think a night downtown will help you cool off some." The policemen cuffed the man and escorted him firmly from the premises. Zheng turned to the owner.

"We'll help you clean up," he said apologetically. The owner nodded in gratitude.

* * *

><p>The War Room, a vast chamber in the Fire Nation palace adjacent to the Firelord's office, was renamed the Cabinet Room and had undergone a few modifications since Zuko took the throne. The Firelord no longer sat behind a wall of flame but at the head of a raised table with his Ministers. "I think, my Lord, before anything else, we must decide what to do about the Fire Nation Colonies in the Earth Republic," announced the Minister of Foreign Relations. Zuko knew this would be a major issue to deal with as soon as he took the throne. "Our citizens have been living there for the better part of the century, it's not like we can forcibly evacuate them."<p>

The Firelord turned to her. "It's still occupied land," he replied. "The other Nations don't recognize the Earth Colonies as Fire Nation territory. Minister Takenuma, any suggestions about our armed forces?" the Minister of Defense and Security (or what used to be the War Minister) looked at his monarch and spoke.

"What I suggest is that we maintain a strong military force at the ready, my Lord, but we do away with the draft. Our armed forces should be all volunteer. I have the orders to release all conscripts from service ready, it just needs your Lordship's signature."

"Very well, Minister Takenuma, you may send the orders to my office after the meeting." Zuko sat up straighter and cleared his throat. "Now, the main reason I called this meeting is to take the true first step into restoring the glory of our Nation." The Ministers gazed at him perplexed. "In order to do that, we must show the world that we are a progressive country not just in technological innovations but in ideas and politics. Therefore, I decree that we write a Constitution guaranteeing our citizens rights and preventing anyone in government, including myself, from taking too much power. The very structure of our government needs to change."

"How, my Lord?" demanded the Minister of Homeland Affairs.

"First of all, I'd like to make this a government of, by, and for the people. I wish to form a legislative body, which we will call the Diet. This will consist of two houses: The first is the House of Peers, which will be ceremonial and consist of nobility. These seats are hereditary. The second will be the House of Commons, which will consist of commoners elected by the people. The House of Commons will be made up of several political parties and the leader of the party to win the most seats in a general election will be the Prime Minister for seven years. Once everything is said and done, I will be transferring most of my political power to the Prime Minister. I and every future Firelord would only have the power to approve or veto bills from the Diet, appoint or dismiss Ministers, declare war with the Diet's approval, appoint the Justices of the Supreme Court, and dismiss a Prime Minister if a no-confidence vote is reached."

The other men sat there silently for a few long moments until the Economic Minister responded, "My Lord, these are wonderful ideas but they'll take years to implement." As if Zuko needed to know this. What he did not tell the Ministers yet is that he had spoken with members of the Order of the White Lotus and they helped him with these ideas.

"Years we have. What we don't have is the Constitution detailing the powers of every branch of this future government or the rights and duties of our people. I've been speaking with members of the Order of the White Lotus and they've agreed to help us in our transition to representative democracy and constitutional monarchy."

"The White Lotus, my Lord?" the Foreign Affairs Minister replied. "Isn't that General Iroh's group? The one that liberated Ba Sing Se?"

"Yes."

"Then I trust them. If it's a group of people as enlightened as General Iroh, then it can only do us good."

"Surely we can take some steps now, sir?" inquired the Education Minister.

Zuko replied, "We'll introduce elections from the local to island level. Local Mayors, Prefects, and Island Governors will also be elected positions. What _you_ can do in the Education Ministry is to revamp the curriculum. No more emphasis on history. Our history books need to be rewritten anyway; the current ones are all Sozinist propaganda and I want them to be factual and unbiased. I want emphasis placed on mathematics, sciences, language, and the arts. These are skills kids will need in the future."

"I'll get right on it, sir."

"Another thing: though the Constitution will guarantee the right to free speech, expression, press, religion, and assembly, the only thing we will outlaw in any of those categories is public displays of loyalty to the Old Regime and any vestiges of Sozinism."

"My Lord," piped up the Minister of Industry. "Doesn't it seem a bit like a double standard if we allow other forms of political and ideological extremism to be lawfully expressed but have an exception for Sozinism?"

It took all of Zuko's strength not to lose his temper. What kind of idiotic question was that? "Was any other ideology responsible for a hundred years of war and suffering, Ishikawa?" the Firelord demanded in a hard voice. "Was any other ideology responsible for the destruction of an entire Nation?"

The Minister sighed. "No, my Lord."

"Then we're all agreed on this?" The Cabinet members muttered and nodded in acknowledgement. "We'll begin writing the Constitution after my wedding and honeymoon. The Order members will aid us in the details."

"I find it amazing," commented Takenuma, shaking his head, "simply amazing, that Mrs. Han can take the time to plan such a grand wedding with a little child at home and her husband on trial facing a very long prison sentence. I swear, that woman's priorities are…sorry, my Lord."

"No, Minister," Zuko responded. "She insisted on taking charge of everything. Doesn't want her friends to see her losing face. Even Mai agrees with you. We'll let her have her way, otherwise we'll never hear the end of it."

"But on a happier note," said the Minister of Justice. "The wedding itself. I propose we make this day a State affair. Let the whole country join in on the celebration." This earned a laugh from the Firelord.

"Making my wedding a national holiday, a reasonable excuse not to work…yeah, why not?" The cabinet members shared a laugh until finally Zuko announced, "Well, ladies and gentlemen, this meeting is adjourned. This Constitution will be a major change in the governing of the Fire Nation but I'm confident that it'll bring positive results." The Firelord rose from his seat and the others followed suit.

"Minister Takenuma, Minister Iwamatsu," said Zuko and they turned to face him.

"My Lord?" the replied together.

"Come with me to my office and we'll discuss what we can do about the Colonies and the conscripts."

* * *

><p>A turn for the worse…that was the only was Jian Han could describe his life since Ozai had assigned him to Omashu as its governor. It had all begun with the "pentapox" disaster, forcing him to drive out the entire population from the city. In all that madness, his two-year-old son had wandered off and to this day, Jian did not know how Tom-Tom was able to get out of the palace, down the mountain, and follow the crowd without suffering any harm. If anything, when the Avatar brought him back, he just looked like he had been worn out from a very long day of fun. At the time of his absence, Jian thought it was a kidnap, forcing him to negotiate a deal with the Resistance to release King Bumi for the safe return of his son. However, Azula, who despite her young age had all the cruelty and callousness of her father, had foiled the deal. She had been more than willing to let potential harm come to a child in order to keep a valuable prisoner.<p>

A few months later, during a solar eclipse, King Bumi had escaped his metal casket of a prison and single handedly managed to take the city back from the Fire Nation. This forced Jian, his wife, and son to retreat and take refuge with the nearest Fire Nation military unit. His daughter, Mai had left with Princess Azula and Ty Lee to capture the Avatar and the then banished Prince Zuko and General Iroh. Jian thought that he and his family would face execution for the loss of Omashu, but was relieved to learn that Ozai had lost the war on the Day of the Comet.

Upon disembarking the ship in the Agnishima Navy Yard, Jian was met by the police who presented him with an arrest warrant. Now here he was, charged with forcibly evacuating citizens of an entire city, the illegal occupation of said city, and potentially facing twenty years in prison. However, he still had some pride left. He would not say that he was guilty, potential incarceration be damned! Jian believed he acted according to his duties as Governor and he had never harmed a single citizen of Omashu. He made that it clear that he was not guilty at the arraignment and he would not back down from his stance.

The one thing that made him sad was that either way, he would miss his daughter's wedding. His beautiful little Mai would be married to Firelord Zuko in a little over a month. His first child was getting married and he would not even be there to escort her down the aisle and give her away to the Firelord. No, he would be stuck here in this dungeon while his wife would march down the aisle with Mai, give her away to be married, and make a speech for her at the reception. There was no way the judges would let him out for the wedding; he was too well connected. Either way, Jian would fight, no matter what the prosecutor had to throw at him.

A strong hand squeezing his shoulder brought Jian out of his reverie. Wincing, he look to his left, meeting the manic gaze of Nguyen Thanh An. Currently, he was wearing a grin that told the former Governor that he was about to receive a threat.

"Hello, Han," said the former General in a mock-friendly tone. "You haven't been talking to us much, have you?"

"I have nothing to say," Jian responded coolly. Nguyen's mock-friendly demeanor faded in an instant.

"Well, just so you know, Han, Yi doesn't know anything and neither do any of us. We play our cards right, we might get off and take this Nation back. Once we do, all traitors will be punished." The two men held gazes for a few brief moments before the Senior General took his leave. Jian immediately grabbed his empty rice bowl and hurled it to the floor in rage before storming from the mess hall back to his cell.

A/N: Next chapter I'm debating about whether to have the royal wedding or just go on to the trial.


	5. Setting the Pieces into Motion

Chapter Five: Setting the Pieces into Motion

The incident in the restaurant was the first of many that Zheng, Setsuko, and Tuktu had had to face. The prosecutor had several loyalists to the Old Regime throwing insults at him and his family but luckily no further attempt on his life. Setsuko's children had several problems at school with the children of the loyalists, the worst of which ended with her youngest coming home with a black eye but according to her, the victor in the fight. Her son stood up for Zuko's reformations. A colleague had ambushed her husband, a secondary school literature teacher named Yoshi, and the two men engaged in a fierce Firebending duel. The colleague was fired from his post and arrested. Setsuko herself did not face many problems other than the occasional snide remark thrown her way. Tuktu on the other hand got into at least three Bending battles with loyalists who had attacked him. One incident where he had initiated an argument with a group of loyalists talking amongst themselves had led to an outright brawl. Judge Nanuk was so furious when he had found out that Zheng was surprised he had not disbarred the Water Tribesman instead of placing him on probation.

However, there were some positive events as well. Zheng, his team, and their families had been invited to Firelord Zuko's wedding to Mai Han where both his wife and Setsuko had forbidden him from even mentioning the trial. It was fun, a much-needed break from the hard work he and his team had been doing. He had even talked to Mr. Tanaka over a glass of sake without any tension. Outside work, the Professor was a very pleasant family man who enjoyed the finer things in life. What is more, Zheng's daughter became friends with Mai's brother, Tom-Tom who was now four-years-old, a year younger than Lan. He had to have danced with every girl that was invited including Lan, Katara, Suki, Toph, Mai's maid of honor Ty Lee, and of course Mai herself. General Iroh commented that the boy would be following his example soon enough, just give him a few years and he would be a magnet for girls. Since the wedding night, Lan and Tom-Tom would play whenever they got the chance. However, Zheng's wife Ling found it awkward seeing Mrs. Han considering that the prosecutor had the job of putting her husband in prison for twenty long years.

In the months that had passed, many lower-ranking war criminals were arrested and deported to the locations of their crimes, one of whom was Admiral Yon Rha who had been tried by the Southern Water Tribe for about a week, was found guilty, and hanged. Most days, the prosecution team would work to build a case. They would work long into the night reading documented evidence, interviewing witnesses, and answering questions from the press, the latter being the most tedious. Finally, after a year of preparation, the big show was to begin. The trial the whole world was waiting for.

"All rise!" The prosecution, the defense, the defendants and thousands of spectators fell silent, rising to their feet as the judges entered the courtroom. Once the eight men had taken their seats, the rest of the people in the courtroom had followed suit. Lee once again rapped his staff on the floor. "Ladies and gentlemen," he said in a clear voice. "The International Military Tribunal for Major War Criminals is now in session. All those having business with these proceedings, stand forward and you shall be heard. The Council of Judges, led by President of the Council Amak is presiding."

Amak rapped his gavel three times before asking, "Is counsel prepared to make opening statements?"

"Yes, your Honor," said Zheng after standing up. Mr. Tanaka followed suit.

"Yes, your Honor."

"Very well, Mr. Yi, would you please step up to the podium?"

Zheng made his way to the platform in the center of the chamber looking the judges in the eye and began to speak. "Honorable Gentlemen of the Tribunal, over a hundred years ago, only about a kilometer away from this building, Firelord Sozin met with his cabinet to decide how to bring further glory to an already flourishing Fire Nation. These men decided that in order to accomplish this, they would need to spread that glory to all corners of the globe. This would need to be achieved by conquest. Sozin famously waited for the Dragon's Tail Comet, a comet that flies so low that it almost enters the earth's atmosphere; a comet that comes only once every century and lasts about eight weeks before disappearing. This would later be known as Sozin's Comet. Sozin waited because he knew its energy would enhance Firebending powers a thousand fold. Using this power, the Fire Nation launched a vicious and cowardly attack on the Air Nomads, wiping out the whole race save for one known member, and it is to him that we all owe our lives. What came after the Air Nomad Massacre was a hundred years of war, suffering, and destruction at the hands of three generations of ruthless, tyrannical Firelords and their loyal minions." He paused for a moment, letting his words sink into the judges' heads.

"Take a good look at the men sitting in the dock!" Zheng said, his voice rose slightly. "Many of us ask why the Hundred-Year War happened in the first place. Many of us ask how one man can wake up one morning and decide to inflict so much suffering on the world. I'm on the other hand asking why the war needed to _continue _to the next generation and the generation after that." He clenched his fist tightly and glanced down at the podium. "The answer is quite simple: it didn't. It did not need to continue after Sozin died but Firelord Azulon continued it for twenty-three years; some of his henchmen sit before this tribunal today. Although, he had already been the _de facto_ ruler the country decades prior, but I digress.

"Azulon's death and the rise of a new Firelord should've seen the end of the war but it hadn't. It was continued once again and only one man was responsible for continuing it." Zheng turned to the defendants and pointed his finger at Ozai. "Ex-Firelord Ozai held absolute power over the Fire Nation. His word was law. At any moment, he could have ended all the violence and suffering. He didn't." Turning back to the judges, he continued, "On the contrary, he escalated the violence to levels beyond those that had been seen in the entire war! The world was subjected to six more years of global conflict and the vilest atrocities committed against both civilians and soldiers in the history of mankind.

"Not even the Fire Nation was exempt from the tyranny of the Old Regime. For a hundred years, any opposition to the war or the Firelord was met with merciless retribution. For an entire century, a totalitarian government ruled all Fire Nation citizens... citizens who were forced to show slavish devotion to the Firelord. These citizens had to watch as their children's minds were being fed with propaganda, hatred, and intolerance from a very early age so they would be molded into killing machines that had no concept of mercy, compassion, or value of human life. The Fire Nation also was subject to ethnic cleansing, purges, and a prison system where atrocities not even out of the worst nightmares had occurred.

"What the prosecution is going to show the tribunal are written records of war and cabinet meetings detailing the atrocities committed under ex-Firelord Ozai's rule and letters sent to lower-ranking officials to carry them out. The tribunal will also hear from those who suffered directly at the hands of the Old Regime and from those responsible for their suffering. We will show you that everything that was done in the tenure of these men was deliberate and premeditated in their path to world domination.

"Now, Mr. Tanaka is going to try some parlor tricks here. He will argue that the men standing trial were following orders, he will tell you that Ozai was a product of his time, he might even argue that most of this happened before these men were even born. However, not all the magic in the world will be able to divert your attention from the truth. The fact that Ozai who had absolute rule over the Fire Nation could have stopped the war and didn't, it's no different from him declaring and waging aggressive war on the world all over again and thus he and his subordinates were wholly responsible for all the suffering that came subsequently.

"Now that the war's finally over, we have the chance to bring these acts of evil into light so that history may never again repeat itself in this way. Let records show that I am glad that the Avatar left ex-Firelord Ozai alive at their duel and only stripped him of his Firebending!" An angry hissing from behind the prosecutor told him that this was a particularly raw point for the highest-ranking defendant. Well good, it better be. "Now the whole world will know of his atrocities and we can purge doubt from anyone's mind. I repeat: we intend to bring the evil acts of these men into light and to ensure the defendants face the proper consequences for their crimes. This isn't about revenge; this is about justice for an entire nation being destroyed and for the millions of victims all over the world both living and dead. We must ensure in this tribunal that the world will not stand for tyranny, fear, and oppression against the peace and freedom loving peoples of this world and that the world can and will deliver justice on those who would forcibly take it from them."

The judges showed no emotion throughout Zheng's speech. All they did was listen to him as the scribe and reporters wrote down everything he said. Zheng stepped down, rejoining Setsuko and Tuktu at their desk. Both of them gave him approving nods. Amak turned to the left side of the room. "Mr. Tanaka?" The bespectacled professor made his way to the platform.

"Honorable Gentlemen of the Tribunal, when Firelord Zuko asked me to take this job," he began quietly, "I asked myself, what can I possibly say to defend these men. To deny ex-Firelord Ozai's ability to end the war whenever he wanted would be the same as trying to deny the war had ever happened. Then the answer came to me right now from Mr. Yi.

"He is absolutely right. For an entire century, all, I repeat, _all_ Fire Nation citizens were subjects under totalitarian rule where they were forced to show slavish devotion to the Firelord and watch as their children's minds were being fed with propaganda, hatred, and intolerance from a very early age so they would be brutal on the battlefield. A truer statement has never been spoken. This was true for every citizen of the Fire Nation, including my clients.

"Ex-Firelord Ozai was conditioned from birth to commit these atrocities, to push harder than his predecessors, to claim victory and dominion over the entire world. The conditioning, which he helped instill, is the same conditioning to which he was a victim. It is the same conditioning his own daughter, Princess Azula fell victim to, each generation suffering harsher effects because of it.

"Princess Azula has since gained immunity from prosecution due to insanity. I understand that ex-Firelord Ozai is of sound mind to stand trial but would not a man who thought it fit to follow Princess Azula's suggestion of setting an entire nation on fire be insane, a man conditioned from a young age to be a heartless soldier, so desensitized to violence and cruelty that he sees it as nothing more than a power play? Is he truly guilty of a crime first perpetrated by his ancestor, who bore it into the minds of all his descendants that to take over the entire world was to improve it? On the other hand, was he simply following a structurally mandated philosophy that every single child of the Fire Nation, even those who are still children now, would be victim? Can we honestly punish a man who never was his own? Or should we condemn to death the majority of the Fire Nation's military? Had the then Prince Zuko not spoken out of turn in that war-room meeting which led to his eventual reformation and had the Avatar still succeeded, would we not be having this trial in his name at this very moment?

"The Fire Nation is a nation that has been so deeply scarred and manipulated, that to blame one man who was nothing more than a product of his abusive lineage is the same as blaming the winds of a typhoon for a destructive wave. The typhoon that causes a wave does not drown thousands of people for any reason other than it thinks no differently than to move that way. It does not ask itself if it should move to a less-populated shore, it does not question its morals, it simply moves because all the gusts of wind before it led it on that path and it cannot think to change course.

"This man and his henchmen are not merely a product of their time, we all are. And, under the intense conditioning placed upon all people of the Fire Nation, are we to assume that not any other man or woman given the position of Firelord at that time would not feel that same self-righteousness and power that they have been conditioned to believe the position grants with impunity, to the point of deification? This is a man raised to believe that given this position would make him equal to a god and the whole nation was raised to revere him as such.

"Mr. Yi is absolutely right that the world deserves justice for all the suffering it's been through this past century. However, when delivering justice upon those responsible, we must consider all matters."

The professor stepped off the platform and returned to his desk. It took all the years of Zheng's training as an attorney not to scoff at what the defense had said. There were many cases of resistance against the tyranny of the previous three Firelords, deserters from the military, and those who silently opposed what was going on. Well, Zheng thought as he arose from his seat, now it was time to make the first move.

"Honorable Gentlemen of the Tribunal, the prosecution calls General Iroh." The doors in the back of the chamber swung open as the witness marched in. In walked Iroh, the Dragon of the West, a name notorious in the former Earth Kingdom, now revered as the savior of Ba Sing Se. The old man certainly did not fit the image of a ruthless Fire Nation General. He was of shorter stature and slightly overweight with a balding head of gray hair and beard. He was clad in a formal green and white tunic. He sat in the witness stand at the right side of the bench as Zheng once again stepped up to the platform.

"General Iroh, please raise your right hand, sir," said Lee, stepping in front of the witness stand. "Do you swear before the Spirits that the evidence you'll give this tribunal will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"

"Yes, I do."

"General Iroh," said Zheng, looking at his former enemy, "You were ordered to conquer Ba Sing Se, correct?"

"No, Mr. Yi," Iroh replied. "I had a vision that I would conquer Ba Sing Se and presented the battle plans to my father." The prosecutor blinked.

"So you're saying the orders to attack Ba Sing Se did not come from Firelord Azulon." A high-pitched ring sounded.

"Objection," Tanaka said curtly. "The prosecutor's leading the witness."

"Overruled," Amak countered, looking at Zheng sternly. "But watch your wording, Mr. Yi, or I will reverse my ruling. Continue your examination."

"Yes, your Honor. General Iroh, how did the whole idea of conquering Ba Sing Se come up?" The former General's brow furrowed as if trying to recall all the details.

"When I was much younger, I would say in my thirties, I dreamed that I stood at the threshold of the Royal Palace of Ba Sing Se. Nine years ago, a window of opportunity opened for us to conquer the city. I presented the battle plans to my father, the late Firelord Azulon who gave the order to conquer the city."

"What were the standing orders?"

"Take the city at any cost," said Iroh flatly.

The prosecutor figured that much. He would have been shocked if any place the Fire Nation had conquered was not at any cost. "General, at any point in your service in the Fire Nation Army were you ordered to target unarmed civilians or kill prisoners of war?"

"Objection!" Tanaka exclaimed after ringing his bell.

"Sustained," Amak answered. "Rephrase, Mr. Yi."

"General Iroh, what was the official mandate regarding unarmed civilians and prisoners of war?"

"We were officially forbidden from harming civilians unless they showed 'signs of resistance'."

"I don't understand, General. What do you mean by signs of resistance?" Like how did the entire Air Nomad population 'resist' against the Firebenders or eight hundred thousand citizens of Xu Qiang 'resist' against the Fire Nation as they slaughtered them and took the surviving citizens prisoner as slaves. He wanted to add those examples but Amak would probably see it as inflammatory. Iroh seemed to understand though.

"This was a very broad order left up to the discretion of the officers. I have never taken part in any purge and my soldiers were never to harm civilians under any circumstances except if they attacked first with intent to kill. Under any other circumstances, the soldier in question would be executed.

"As for prisoners of war, we had them sent to prisons in the colonies but while they were under my watch, I made sure they were treated humanely with proper food, bedding, and medical care."

"Why was this order worded so vaguely?"

Iroh grimaced as he said, "This order was not necessarily for the Fire Nation to follow but to instill fear in enemy forces and civilians. In exchange for their safety, we demanded their silent, obedient consent."

"Thank you, General," he turned to Tanaka. "Your witness." He then stepped down from the platform and took his seat as the professor made his way to the platform.

"General Iroh," he said. "I'm not sure if you remember but I served under you in the Xuan Thien region in the Earth Kingdom."

"Yes," Iroh replied with a slight smile. "I believe you'd expressed your own moral concerns about the war to me." Zheng rolled his eyes and rang his bell.

"Objection, I'm sure Mr. Tanaka and the witness will have plenty of time to reminisce on the past when the tribunal adjourns for the night as neither man is on trial."

"Mr. Tanaka," piped up Amak, "is this relevant?"

"It is, your Honor."

"Overruled, proceed with your examination."

Tanaka turned back to the witness. "Was I the only soldier that day who expressed his moral concerns to you about the war, General?"

"No, you were not, Professor. In fact, this happened before the Siege. In the years when we advanced north to Ba Sing Se, word had gotten to the troops about Xu Qiang." Zheng could not help but look back into the dock at the mention of the destroyed city. For an instant, the prosecutor thought he had seen a triumphant gleam in Nguyen's eye but at the next moment, the former Senior General just sat there with a blank expression.

"There were many cases of desertion and suicides following the Xu Qiang Massacre," Iroh explained. "The prospect of the same thing happening in Ba Sing Se had frightened more than a few soldiers even up to the rank of Colonel."

"My service had ended long before you had arrived in Ba Sing Se," said Tanaka. "General, did you intend to destroy the city if you had succeeded?"

"Absolutely not!" Iroh exclaimed, his eyes blazing. "I wanted to conquer the city with minimal collateral damage."

"And you managed to break through the outer wall, is that correct?"

The former General frowned at the question. "Yes, Mr. Tanaka. However, we could not have been less prepared for what had awaited us on the other side. My forces had been utterly routed because of General Hao's strategies." Iroh turned his head to the bench where Hao sat. "From one General to another, I must commend you on your skills as a combat tactician."

Hao cleared his throat. "I would like to take this time to remind the tribunal that in here, I'm not a General, I'm a judge. An Earth Republic judge who only seeks justice for his and every other country." Amak stepped in.

"Any more questions for this witness, Mr. Tanaka?"

"None, your Honor."

"Mr. Yi?"

"Yes, your Honor," Zheng replied firmly as he stepped back to the podium. "General Iroh, you're now on record of saying that high-ranking officers had expressed their moral concerns about the war. When did you yourself begin to question the justification of the war?"

A pained expression fell upon the witness's face as he answered, "It was in the months we spent in the fields beyond the outer wall. Our forces were already being pushed back but after my son, Lu Ten, had been killed in action… As you can imagine, I was devastated. I could not have another man die of my own folly. I had ordered my troops to withdraw."

"If you were half the General everyone claimed you were," Ozai shouted angrily from the dock. "You would've pushed forward and burned Ba Sing Se to ashes!"

Zheng turned sharply to him but before he could retort, Tanaka said, "Ex-Firelord Ozai, please-"

"NO!" Lee rapped his staff on the floor but the former Firelord ignored his call for order. "I AM THE PHOENIX KING! I WILL NOT BE TREATED LIKE SOME COMMON CRIMINAL OFF THE STREET! THIS TRIAL IS A JOKE!"

"Order, I said!"

"You are nothing but trash, Ozai, you murdering fuck!" Tuktu shot back, his blue eyes burning with pure hate. "Just a murdering lowlife like your father!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Amak bellowed making everyone turn to him. "I will not have these outbursts in my courtroom! Ex-Firelord Ozai," Ozai, red faced and furious had clearly intended to shout again. "You will shut up until you're called to testify! And _you_, Tuktu, this tribunal won't warn you again about behaving professionally! Any more misconduct from you and you'll be held in contempt of court, is that clear?"

"Yes, your Honor," said Tuktu, his voice strained.

"Now, Mr. Yi, if you may kindly proceed?"

Zheng would have a serious talk with Tuktu later, he thought as he asked Iroh, "After withdrawing, you disappeared according to Firelord Zuko. Where did you go in this time?"

Iroh seemed to contemplate on how to answer the prosecutor's question. Zheng knew of the many rumors of what Iroh had been doing during his absence and would not press him if it were personal. "I went on a journey to find enlightenment," he said shortly.

"Could you please elaborate, General?"

"After my son died," he said sadly, "I had an epiphany. I've always been against the atrocities the Fire Nation had committed in this war but then I realized that the war itself was an atrocity. After losing Lu Ten, I began asking myself, 'How many sons have you and your troops taken away? How many mothers and fathers have you left childless? How many sons of the Fire Nation gave their lives to serve the Firelord?' It was then that I'd thought about my place in the world." The older man drew in a breath.

"First I went to the Eastern Air Temple, one of the most beautiful locations in the world. The Air Nomads were the most spiritual of all nations, so maybe I would have been able to find enlightenment in a place where they once lived. Once there, I had met an old man whose name I'd promised not to disclose. He was my spiritual guide." That was probably where he had entered the Spirit World!

"And what happened in this time?" Zheng inquired.

"Towards the end of my visit there, I had been meditating and then entered the Spirit World." A buzz of conversation erupted in the chamber making Lee once again rap his staff.

"Order!" he shouted and the room fell silent. "We shall have order!"

"So it's true," Zheng muttered.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. I am not at liberty to say everything that had happened. However, Agni, the Spirit of Fire himself appeared to me and told me that my final test has yet to come. My brother Ozai had usurped the throne and it was my job to protect the one who would be able to restore the honor of the Fire Nation. One who would face an inner battle or darkness and light. I knew that to be Ozai's son, Prince Zuko, due to his lineage."

Zheng stood there silently for a moment. He was not a very spiritual man himself but he did believe I the Spirit World and that the Spirits allowed certain mortals to enter under grave circumstances. "General Iroh, I just have one more question. Why is it that ex-Firelord Ozai had taken the throne instead of you? You were the older son and natural heir."

Iroh seemed to know that he would face this question last. "First of all, Mr. Yi, you must understand that I had never wanted to take the throne."

Zheng's eyes widened, taken aback by the General's response. "You _wanted _your brother to be the Firelord?"

"Objection!"

"Overruled."

"I did not want Ozai to take the throne," he answered seriously. "My intention was to have Lu Ten take the throne with Prince Zuko next in line unless my son would have children. However, the day he died, Ozai went to our father, Firelord Azulon to revoke my birthright. He said my line has ended but my father would not have it. He ordered Ozai to kill Zuko if he wanted any chance at the throne. Ozai's wife, Princess Ursa had found out and stopped him."

Zheng had a pretty good idea of what Iroh would say next but decided not to prompt it. "Ursa made a deal with Ozai. If she had killed Azulon and changed his will to name Ozai the new Firelord, Zuko would be spared." The General would not meet his eye. "I beg you not to fault her. She was doing what-"

"Any other mother would have done," Zheng finished. "I can assure you that no charges will be brought against Princess Ursa. No more questions."

"The witness is excused," Amak announced and Iroh took his leave.

* * *

><p>The day had ended with three more witnesses taking the stand. One was a woman from a Fire Nation village where an arms factory had once stood. She testified to how the soldiers occupying the village would hoard all the food and other resources for themselves, leaving the villagers to fend for themselves on the polluted river. Another had been a guard at a concentration camp in the colonies for prisoners of war, political activists, and their families. He had testified to how the prisoners were used for manual labor and girls as young as twelve were used as comfort women for the guards. The last one to testify that day was a formerly occupied town in the Earth Kingdom. The Fire Nation had forbidden Earthbending and had publicly executed any citizen caught or rumored to disobey them. Hundreds of Earthbenders were burned alive under the occupation.<p>

When Zheng had settled into bed that night next to his wife, all he could do was stare up at the ceiling. "It's awful, isn't it?" Ling said understandingly as she took his hand in hers. The prosecutor turned to his side, gazing into her warm brown eyes.

"I insisted the tribunal hear from those who suffered at the hands of these defendants," Zheng murmured in barely a whisper. "To think that someone would sink so low…to kill his own son in exchange for power!"

"Ozai's going to pay for what he's done…to both the world and his family," Ling stated firmly. "And so will his henchmen. The world's going remember you as the man who had brought their atrocities into light and gave them a fair trial."

"I don't know, love. You heard Tanaka's opening statements. Their way of thinking came from generations of this kind of indoctrination. The judges might consider this."

"Not for something of this magnitude."

Sighing, he wrapped his arms around her torso. "I hope you're right. This is only the beginning…"


	6. The Warden and the Warrior

Chapter Six: The Warden and the Warrior

Colonel Phuong Minh Tran, long time warden of the Boiling Rock sat behind the desk in the office of his now virtually empty prison. The prisoners of war and political activists had all been released. The actual criminals had been transferred to other prisons. It didn't matter though, he thought. His no-escape record had not only been broken in the riot but three hundred guards had been killed in their attempt to quell the rioting prisoners. In retaliation, the warden had over a thousand prisoners executed.

Now Tran had stayed in the Boiling Rock with a few guards. They had intended to stay there until Firelord Zuko would order the place shut down. After that, then what would he do? His sister had distanced herself from him since she and her sycophant of a husband had returned to the Fire Nation so staying at their place was out of the question. Add to the fact that Jian was now on trial as a Class One* war criminal; her association with the warden of the most notorious prison in the Fire Nation would not put her in a good light these days. He hadn't even been invited to Mai's wedding and that was a particularly painful blow. If there were any people Tran had loved in this world, it was his niece and nephew.

An abrupt rapping on the door brought Tran out of his reverie. "What do you want?" he answered brusquely. "I said no interruptions!" No response. Just another three knocks. Wincing in annoyance, he slid his chair backwards and stormed to the door to open it. His eyes widened at the sight of the four strangers.

"The military police?" he gasped, taking a few steps back. "Why are you here?" A Sergeant stepped into his office.

"Colonel Tran," he announced shortly. "You're under arrest for war crimes and crimes against humanity." The warden blinked hearing but not really believing.

"Excuse me?"

"We have a warrant for your arrest co-signed by the Minister of Justice and the Firelord." In a ruffle of paper, a white sheet bearing the royal seal was presented to him. The Sergeant removed a set of handcuffs from his belt. "You have the right to remain silent in initial questioning," he said, placing the cuffs around the astounded warden's wrists. "If you give up the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You reserve the right to defense counsel at initial questioning and at any future legal proceedings. If you cannot afford a defense counsel, one will be appointed to you by the State. Do you understand these rights as I've read them to you?"

Tran stared at the soldier nonplused. "First of all, you didn't read them to me, you told them to me. Second of all, what the fuck was that about?"

"It's a law under the Constitution, chapter three, article twenty-nine," he said. "Firelord and his cabinet wrote a Constitution." Nothing else was said. The soldiers flanked the warden out of the prison to a waiting airship.

* * *

><p>The tribunal had been going on for a month. In that time, many victims and former soldiers of the Fire Nation took the stand. Ex-Firelord Ozai had a few more outbursts, but neither the judges nor the prosecution team was fazed by it. While Zheng thought it important for the court to hear from common people, what he really wanted was for significant people to make their cases. Subpoenas had been sent out to the former Earth King, former King Bumi of Omashu, and to the Avatar and his friends.<p>

They were understandably busy with reconstruction, meetings, and helping displaced persons resettle. They would appear as witnesses at their own convenience not at Zheng's. Even if Firelord Zuko was only a short walk away from the Supreme Court, he was still very busy in his own duties. However, Team Avatar happened to be in the Fire Nation and Zheng had arranged for both Katara and Suki to testify but before he and his team would get to them, he would first need to interrogate the Warden of the Boiling Rock.

On cue, there was a knock on his door and in walked Warden Tran flanked by a detail of military policemen. Zheng thought the warden had the appearance of a bald hog monkey. His face was large and round with bulging eyes. "Leave us," the prosecutor ordered and the soldiers immediately complied. The two men held each other's gazes in a brief battle of wills before Zheng said, "Sit down."

"I prefer to stand, thank you very much," Tran retorted, rolling his eyes. Zheng exhaled impatiently as he stood up slamming his desk.

"Fuck! I don't have time for this shit," he snapped. After more than a year of dealing with these people, he had finally reached his breaking point. "I'll be frank here, Colonel. You're gonna be tried by the Fire Nation since you're only considered a Class Three war criminal and don't qualify to be tried by the IMT. I can tell you that despite the Firelord being married to your niece, he's out for your blood. Oh, and Lady Mai, she's not gonna testify on your behalf either. The prosecution has enough evidence and witnesses for a trial to only last a fortnight and then you'll be hanged."

Zheng was pleased to see a wavering expression on the man's face. Despite whatever pride the warden had, he obviously did not want to die. In a poor effort to keep his voice dignified, he inquired, "Then why am I here, Mr. Li?"

"It's Yi," Zheng replied irritably, sitting back down and pointing a condescending finger at Tran. "You're here because I think you're useful to our case. I'm offering you an ultimatum, Colonel. I've made a deal with the Firelord. You testify for us, give us as much detail as you can of what went on in the Boiling Rock, what orders you'd received from above, and your life will be spared. You'll spend the rest of your miserable life in prison but at least you'll live."

Tran lowered his head in thought after giving the prosecutor a look of pure loathing. "So you're saying," he growled, "if I do as you ask, I'll be sentenced to life?"

Zheng shrugged. "You should know this process very well, Colonel, your old bosses were very well-versed in it. Only difference is that I'm not asking you to give up innocent people to be killed so that you could live. No matter what you decide, you'll get a fair trial as virtually nonexistent your chances are for acquittal. The ball is in your court, Colonel. I'm warning you, though. If you refuse, it'll be too late to change your mind.

"…I'm waiting."

"Fine! I'll do what you want!"

Zheng chuckled mirthlessly. "A wise decision."

* * *

><p>The door to General Hao's office burst open with so much force that it had nearly knocked a picture off the wall. Oyaji seemed peeved about something and the General could only wonder what would set him off. It was only when the Chief of Kyoshi Village stormed over to his desk that Hao noticed the newspaper tucked under the older man's arm.<p>

"Have you seen this?" he shouted as he slammed the paper on the desk.

"Calm yourself, what's going on?" the General responded angrily.

"Read the article." General Hao frowned as he glanced down at the headline.

_**FORMER EARTH KINGDOM DIVIDED AT THE 38**__**th**__** PARALLEL **_

"What the _fuck_ is this?" Hao knew that there had been much heated political debate going on in the Republic's transitional government. Two camps were the most popular in those debates and among the populace. While both supported representative government, one camp supported a multi party presidential republic with a separation of powers and a capitalist economic system. The other camp supported a philosophy called communism, which did away with class warfare; thus the citizens and the government collectively owned all property and enterprise. While Hao believed the latter to be a nice idea on paper, he thought it ridiculous that so many thought it could work in practice.

The article stated that a referendum had been held two months ago where the people voted for what kind of government they had wanted. The vast majority of the North had voted for communism while the South voted for a presidential republic. Now the North had officially named itself the Earth People's Republic with its capital being Ba Sing Se. Their leader who went by the title of General Secretary of the Communist Party was a man Hao knew quite well; a fellow Council of Five member named Liu Xiaoding, a charismatic man among his soldiers but Hao knew him to be a glory hunter. He became a General at a relatively young age (only his early forties), and since then had gotten himself into the good graces of all the right people.

"This is unbelievable," Hao muttered, shaking his head. "There's no way I'm serving under Liu Xiaoding! Once this is over, my family and I are moving to the South!" He turned his gaze to Oyaji. "What does this mean for us and the trial?"

The Chief sighed and sat in one of the chair in front of the desk. "Even with all this chaos, Liu Xiaoding's sending two judges from his country. Guess he knew he couldn't count on you to support him. It seems like we're representing the South then."

General Hao read on. The South would be known as the Federal Earth Republic and was now under a provisional government led by the former King Bumi. Omashu had been named the capital of the South and an election for President and the members of the National Assembly would be held shortly after the Winter Solstice.

"Wonderful. Now our country is split in half. As if we didn't have enough to worry about with this trial and reconstruction. Any idea's who's running for President of the Republic?" Oyaji's expression softened.

"Yeah," he replied. "About five guys are running. I personally have my money on Yao Huang from Omashu. He was the commander of the Earth Kingdom forces there. But I can tell you, none of these guys have the same charisma as Xiaoding in the EPR."

The General laughed derisively. "Wonder how Yi is going to take this. They're not sending a prosecutor, are they?" Hao sincerely hoped not as he doubted Zheng Yi would take kindly to it and they could not afford to lose him.

"No they're not," Oyaji said and Hao sighed in relief. "Liu Xiaoding seems to think Mr. Yi represents the interest of all the Earth peoples, not just the South."

"He really believes in this communism stuff," the General said as he read further. "'Revolutionizing our culture', 'must move forward and rid ourselves of all vestiges of the failures of the monarchy', hah, he's even having Long Feng tried as a traitor and disbanded the Dai Li." He folded the paper and stated, "The war may be over, Oyaji, but with all this bullshit, our problems are far from over." All the Chief of Kyoshi Island could do was nod grimly.

* * *

><p>Two more men had sat at the bench. Zheng had been informed that they were two Generals from the Earth People's Republic. The news that the Earth Republic had split in two had come as a shock to him. After the war, Zheng's number one priority had been the reconstruction of Qing and the surrounding area and then he had been called for this job. All the work had taken away his attention from internal politics. Like General Hao, Zheng knew this split could only lead to more trouble. However, he had a job he needed to focus on now and could not allow himself to be distracted.<p>

"Colonel Tran, when were you appointed Warden of the Boiling Rock?" Tran had just been sworn in. After today's proceedings, the Colonel would be transferred from international custody into Fire Nation custody where he would stand trial for his crimes. Firelord Zuko had agreed to show mercy to the former warden if he had testified for the prosecution; that is if one would call spending the rest of one's life in prison doing penal labor merciful.

"About twelve years ago," he said evenly but glaring at the prosecutor. "I'd say around 1852."

"Where were you stationed before that?"

"I was first assigned as an officer in Concentration Camp Forty-Six in Rokkotsu," he began lifting his hand to his chin in thought. "I was assigned as executive officer of block three."

"What kind of prisoners were placed into Forty-Six?"

Tran shrugged and turned his gaze away from Zheng. "The usual undesirables." Almost immediately, the courtroom erupted in furious shouts causing Lee to rap his staff on the floor. General Deng of the Earth People's Republic had to be held back by two of his colleagues from lunging at the warden.

"Order!"

When the chamber fell silent again, Amak stared Tran down in rage. "You will refrain from using these terms in this court, Colonel. One more remark like that and you will be found in criminal contempt! Do you understand me?"

Tran nodded curtly but the Southern Water Tribesman would not stand for that. "Answer my question!"

"Yes, your Honor," the Colonel said through gritted teeth.

"I'll ask you again," Zheng stated. "What types of prisoners were incarcerated there?"

"Forty-Six was solely for Fire Nation citizens; ones that the Firelord found to be undesirable elements." He counted each category on his fingers. "These were political activists, traitors, the weak, the racially inferior…that is to say those who had ancestry of any other nation or those who has sexual intercourse with one of another nation. We also imprisoned their families."

"What were the conditions of this camp?"

"Well…" The warden's voice wavered but not with regret, Zheng knew. Tran was trying to think of a way to put it in proper words. "This and other concentration camps like it were not designed to hold prisoners for long periods of time. They would sleep in barrack accommodations and would be subjected to slave labor. Once they would not be able to work, they'd be killed by a Firebending squad."

In a frosty tone, Zheng demanded, "And was this ordered from the top?"

"Yes."

"What other reasons were prisoners killed?"

"When prisoners arrived, they would be given a medical exam to see if they're physically able to work. They would also be selected by age. Those deemed too young or too old would be killed right away."

"Did you kill any children or the elderly, Colonel?" The words escape Zheng before he could stop them. He had not intended to ask that question and Tanaka did not let him get away with it.

"Objection, this is not Colonel Tran's trial, he is here as a witness!"

"Sustained," Amak replied.

"Colonel Tran," Zheng had decided to go with another line of questioning. "Where else were you stationed?"

"When I attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, Firelord Azulon appointed me supervisor of Unit Eight Twenty-Nine, which is located on Yoronjima Island. This was where the Fire Nation was developing weapons of mass destruction; chemical weaponry…these were meant to eradicate vast amounts of people as quickly as possible. That's where we developed the nerve gas we used to eradicate most of our prisoners and our enemies in combat."

"Where there any prisoners in Unit Eight Twenty-Nine?"

"Do you even have to ask?" Tran inquired with a sneer.

"Just answer my question, you son of a…." Zheng breathed heavily to compose himself. "Answer me!"

"Yes, there were. Our scientists conducted research on the effects these chemical agents had on the human body. One of these chemical agents were called the Shinzo-16, named after the scientist who developed it. I'm not sure exactly of what it did but death occurred within less than a minute if inhaled but it could also be mixed in water...the effects would be slower, though. That is how we annihilated most of Hangzhou. That was after I was transferred to the Boiling Rock, though. Ozai ordered that one. He had our forces contaminate the water supply in that city.

"We were also working on a kind of bomb with the power to annihilate an entire city. These kinds of bombs would've used atomic energy but unfortunately, all experiments failed. We got nowhere with it."

"Who appointed you as Warden of the Boiling Rock?" Zheng spat angrily. How could he have been so stupid as to not know of Unit Eight Twenty-Nine? He nearly shuddered at the prospect of the Old Regime trying to obtain such a ghastly weapon. He would have these scientists indicted and subpoenaed as witnesses, especially this Shinzo.

Tran gave a short laugh. "That would be Justice Minister Takahashi. He told me he'd seen my exemplary records while working in Forty-Six and Eight Twenty-Nine. He was very impressed."

"Your records of murdering and torturing innocent people whose only crime was being hated by the Firelord, you mean?"

"Objection!" Tanaka exclaimed after ringing his bell. "That's inflammatory!"

"Sustained," Amak repeated. "I'm not gonna warn you again, Mr. Yi."

"Colonel, please describe the Boiling Rock for the court."

"The prison's located on an island within an island. The main island is a good twenty kilometers east of Agnishima. Granite cliffs that circle around a boiling lake surround the inner part of the island. Prisoners and guards must ride a gondola that takes them over the lake and into the prison itself.

"The prison's divided into two sectors. One was for the most dangerous of Fire Nation criminals and the other was designated for high profile or particularly dangerous prisoners of war and political prisoners."

Tran sat there silently after he had said his piece. What Zheng had wanted to get out of him was what went on in the prison itself and the warden knew that. Shaking his head, the prosecutor pressed, "Don't play dumb with me, Colonel. What were the conditions of the prison? Tell us how the inmates were treated."

The warden rolled his eyes. "The prisons were not like the concentration and labor camps," Tran explained in forced patience. "The Boiling Rock was big enough to allow private cells for each prisoner. They were given mattresses, a sink, and a toilet. Food was provided in the cells."

"There was no starvation?" Zheng inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Not unless a particular prisoner was useful to us. See, both Firelords Azulon and Ozai, Minister Takahashi, and Senior General Nguyen devised an effective method of interrogating prisoners." Tran's lip curled into a sardonic grin. "See, some people can, in fact, endure physical pain no matter how much of it you can inflict on them. What we put more emphasis on was breaking them mentally.

"Other than starvation, we subjected prisoners to isolation in dark cells for long periods of time, mental weakening by the interrogators, or putting them in the coolers." He shook his head laughing quietly. "Now those were _my_ idea. Firebending was prohibited amongst the prisoners so whether they were criminal or political, we placed them in the coolers as punishment. These were special cells where cold air would blow on them for several hours. We had quite a few deaths from hypothermia. The guards would sometimes forget about them."

It took all of Zheng's strength not to run over to the stand and tear the Colonel limb from limb. He did not know how he managed but when he spoke again, he kept his voice even. "This was standard in all the Fire Nation prisons?"

"Yes. Once we had no more use for a prisoner we wished to interrogate, we had them executed. Firebending squads for Benders, beheading for Nonbenders. Towards the end of the war, we put them in sealed chambers and killed them with nerve gas."

"No more questions."

"Mr. Tanaka?" Amak called.

"No questions for this witness, your Honor."

"Very well, the witness is excused."

As Colonel Tran was flanked out of the courtroom, Zheng stole a glance at his colleagues. To his horror and deepest remorse, he saw that Setsuko sat there with her head bent, tears falling down her face silently.

* * *

><p>Suki awoke with a start, sitting on the bed she shared with Sokka in the Ember Island villa breathing fast, her heart racing. Cold sweat soaked her face as she reflected on her nightmare – no – her memories. It had been over a year and a half. Nineteen months had passed and Suki's dreams were still haunted by her months of imprisonment.<p>

For a while now, Suki thought she had healed. She had thought that she'd put Azula behind her, that her experiences under the custody of that heartless princess were only a painful memory. However, since the trial of Fire Nation war criminals began, the nightmares had returned worse than ever. To make matters worse, the prosecution was expecting her to testify in the morning. How could they make her do that, she thought as large tears of sorrow filled her eyes. No, how could they make any former prisoner of war testify to the hell they had gone through?

A quiet sob escaped her throat as she placed her face in her hands. A shifting to her right told her that Sokka had awakened. Without a word, he reached his hand over to Suki and slowly ran his fingers through her hair. That simple gesture broke the barrier and she began to sob openly as Sokka pulled her into his arms, rocking her gently while she buried her head into his chest.

"It's okay, Suki," he whispered gently and kissed the top of her head. "I have you. You're safe now." As she wept, he held her protectively, stroking her hair and reassuring her that it was over. It was only in Sokka's arms that Suki could believe such a thing. It was only with him that she knew she could recover not just from the horrible torture inflicted upon her both mentally and physically, but also from the guilt eating inside her. An involuntary image crossed her mind; Lin and Eun, two of her fellow Kyoshi Warriors beheaded right in front of her eyes as Azula, that bitch… she held her back and forced her to watch as two of her closest friends were murdered simply for refusing to give the princess any information about Aang's whereabouts.

Thinking about them, of course, made Suki cry harder than ever. Sokka simply held her tighter. "I love you," she managed to choke out. In response, Sokka kissed the top of her head.

"I love you too. It's gonna be okay. We'll get through this together."

The next morning, Suki sat beside her friends on a long bench in the Supreme Court just outside the main courtroom. A grim mood had taken over the team. Sokka sat beside her with his arm around her shoulders. Katara held her hand while Aang held hers. Toph sat next to Sokka. "You can do this, Suki," the Avatar said firmly. The hour was slowly approaching when Zheng Yi would call her in to testify.

She glanced at Aang. The boy she had met so long ago on Kyoshi Island had changed much since they had first seen each other. He was taller, stronger, and his voice was now very deep. He was quite handsome too, she thought. Being a Kyoshi Warrior, her loyalty to Aang as the Avatar was unwavering but even more so was her loyalty to him as a friend.

"You'll do great on the stand," Katara added with a warm smile. Toph stretched out her arms, kicked out her feet and strode over to Suki with her distinct Toph grin.

"You'll put those bastards in their place," she said, placing a firm hand on her arm.

"Damn right!" Sokka agreed and Suki couldn't help but laugh appreciatively.

"Thanks, guys." She made to lean her head on Sokka's shoulder but a voice immediately rang out from the other side of the door.

"The prosecution calls Suki Kim." As the five friends stood up, the doors opened. Sokka kissed her lips softly and stroked the side of her face with his hand. Closing her eyes in content, she rested own hand on top of his. Then, drawing in a breath, Suki walked through the doors to the witness stand.

*The war criminals are divided into three classes.

Class One: All the big decisions makers, highest-ranking government officials and military personnel. These are the guys on trial.

Class Two: High-ranking military personnel and lesser government officials who committed or contributed a lot to the major war crimes outside Fire Nation borders as well as within.

Class Three: Specific commanding officers, lower-ranking government officials, etc. whose crimes were concentrated in one area.

A/N: And the next chapter's gonna be a tough one to write. Yeah, as you can see, problems are already erupting in the post-war world. The Earth Republic split is based on the Korean split after World War II. The Earth People's Republic is based on both North Korea and China with some elements of the post-World War II USSR. The Federal Earth Republic's gonna take most of its inspiration from South Korea. No new war in this story though, that's gonna happen later. Unit 829 is based on Unit 731. Read up on it, but I warn you, it's really sick. Oh, and Suki's last name? Yeah, spur of the moment thing.


End file.
